Spark-arrester.



F. B. BREWER.

SPARK ARRESTEB.

A'PPLIOATIONIILED FEB 7, 1911.

1,028,323, Patented June 4, 1912.

cowmnm PLANOGRAPH cm, WASHINGTON. n. C.

UMTED @TATIE PATENT @FFME.

FREDERICK E. BREWER, OF TOWNSEND, MONTANA.

SPARK-ABBESTER.

To all whom 2'25 may concern: 7

Be it known that I, FREDERICK E. BREWER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Townsend, in the county of Broadwater and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spark- Arresters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in spark arresters, and has for one of its objects to improve the construction and increase the efliciency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be applied without material structural change to the smoke stacks of various forms and sizes and to smoke stacks through which the products of the combustion of the various kinds of fuel is discharged.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claim.

The improved device is designed more particularly for use in connect-ion wit-h the smoke stacks of locomotives, although readily applicable to different forms of smoke stacks, but for the purpose of illustration the improved device is shown applied to the smoke stack of a locomotive, and in the drawings illustrative of this embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the forward portion of a conventional loco motive, with the improvement applied and partly in section; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the improved device in section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the upper or smoke stack portion of the improved device. Fig. 1 is a detail sectional View illustrating the three-way valve.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

The improved device is applied partly in the smoke stack, and when employed in connection with a locomotive a portion of the device is located adjacent to the forward axle.

In the drawings the locomotive boiler is represented conventionally at 10, the smoke stack at 11, and the forward axle of the forward truck at 12, these parts being of the usual construction.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 7, 1911.

Patented June 4, 1912. Serial No. 607,131.

Located within the upper portion of the stack 11 is an inverted funnelshaped member 13 having a depending diverging cage like structure 14: formed ofrelatively heavy screen material and connected at the lower end to an annular hoop like member 15 which bears against the inner sides of the stack. The cage 14: and its annular supporting member 15 thus extends entirely across the interior of the stack, as shown. Leading from the upper smaller end of the conical member 13 is a conductor pipe 16 which is arched over the upper end of the stack and thence extended downwardly, as at 31 and into the upper end of a main conductor flue 17, the latter being extended around one side of the boiler and beneath the same and is connected at the lower end into a cylindrical casing or drum 18. It will benoted that the pipe 16 is uniform in area throughout, and that the main conductor flue 17 is also uniform in area throughout and considerably larger than the conductor 16, so that the products of combustion are not retarded in their passage from the stack to the discharge end of the larger conductor flue, but on the contrary are expanded from t-hesmaller pipe into the larger pipe and flow freely therefrom. A suitable clip device 19 is connected to the flue 17 and en gaged detachably with the upper rim of the stack by a set screw 20 or other similar fastening device. The ordinary blow pipe which is employed in connection with the smoke stacks of locomotives is represented conventionally at 21, and leading upwardly from this blow pipe is a branch 22 which is turned over and directed downwardly and engaged with an oblique projection 23 upon the flue 17. The terminal of the branch 22 is thus directed downwardly into the body of the flue 17 so that a supply of steam under pressure may be forced downwardly through the flue 17 to assist the operation of the device and likewise to clear the pipe from obstruction, as hereafter explained. A valve 24;, preferably of the threeway form, is connected into the pipe 21 at the juncture of the branch 22 therewith so that the steam may be either cut oil entirely or directed through the pipe 21 or through the branch 22, as may be required.

The drum 18 is provided with a relatively large downwardly opening and diverging discharge 25, so that the exit or "discharge of the material is facilitated. Mounted for rotation through the drum 18 is a shaft 26 having a plurality of radial wings 27, the wings being arranged to completely fill the interior of the drum 18. Any required number of the wings 27 may be employed but preferably four will be used, as shown. The wings thus form the interior of the drum into a plurality of pockets bet-ween the wings, and by rotating the shaft 26 the various pockets successively communicating with the conductor flue 17 and the discharge 25 of the casing. By this arrangement by constantly and slowly rotating the shaft 26 the material which passesthrough the fine 17 enters the pockets successively and is carried thence around and is discharged downwardly, and by forming the drum 18 large enough it will be obvious that the discharge end of the line 17 is constantly cut off. An opening 32 is formed in the conductor flue 17 near its lower end to provide the necessary escape of the air and is covered with netting to prevent the escape of cinders and sparks.

Any suitable means may be employed for actuating the shaft 26 and its wings 27, but preferably an eccentric 28 is connected to the axle 12 and provided wit-h a strap 29. Mounted upon the shaft 26 is a gear 30, and mounted upon a countershaft 33 is another gear 3e engaging with the gear 30. The shaft is also provided with a ratchet 35 which is fast thereon and rotates with the shaft and the gear 34. Mounted to swing upon the shaft 33 is a lever arm 36 having a pawl 37 engaging with the ratchet. The rod 38 of the eccentric 28 is connected to the lever 36, as shown. By this means it will be obvious that the rotation of the axle 12 is communicated step by step to the gear 34-and thence to the gear 30, and by properly proportioning the gears and the throw of the eccentric the shaft 26 may be caused to rotate one-fourth of a revolution at each throw of the eccentric. It will also be obvious that it is immaterial in which direction the axle 12 is rotated, as the same motion will be imparted to the wings 27 whether the engine is running forwardly or backwardly.

Vith a device thus constructed it will be obvious that all cinders and like products of the combustion passing upwardly through the stack will be caught in the cage 14 and blown thence through the conductor pipe 16 and fine 17 and discharged through the drum 18, while the smoke and gases and other lighter products of the combustion will freely pass through the cage and thence out of the stack. The cinders and like products of the combustion are retarded in their movements through the pipe 16 and flue 17 and held for a brief period of time within the pockets within the drum 18, so that most of the live burning cinders will be extinguished before they are discharged. The steam passing through the branch 22 also serves an important function in assisting in extinguishing sparks, as will be obvious, and when a fuel is employed in which the burning sparks are larger than ordinary,

or when sparks are produced which will not 4 be extinguished during the passage through the pipe 16 and flue 17 and the drum 18, the steam may be caused to constantly flow through the branch 22 to insure the extinguishment of such sparks. The branch 22 thus performs the two-fold function of a means for extinguishing the sparks and likewise as a means for blowing through the flue 17 and insuring its constant open condition.

The improved device is simple in construction, can be applied without material structural changes to smoke stacks of various kinds and to stacks through which the products of the combustion of various kinds of fuel is caused to pass.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is The combination with a smoke stack, of a flue supported beside the stack, a conical foraminous screen arranged within the stack, a pipe leading from the upper end of the screen and bent to extend over the stack and into the upper end of the flue, a steamsupply-pipe, a branch pipe leading from the steam-supply-pipe into the stack beneath the foraminous screen, a branch pipe leading from the steam-supply-pipe into the upper end of the flue above the discharge end of the pipe which leads from the foraminous screen into the fine, a three-way valve arranged at the point of connection of the branch pipes with the steam-supply-pipe, and means for operating the valve to place the steam supply pipe in communication with the branch pipe, leading into the stack or into communication with the branch leading into the upper end of the fine.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK E. BREWER.

Witnesses JOHN Dor-mnrv, J. W. SoHAAr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

